


Intruder Alert

by alexsupertramp



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-02
Updated: 2016-10-02
Packaged: 2018-08-19 01:29:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8183752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alexsupertramp/pseuds/alexsupertramp
Summary: Okay guys here's what happened. I started writing this like over two years ago and I was super excited and wrote four pages and then just never came back to it. I'm only posting cause it feels somehow wrong to just delete it off my computer so idk I'll at least let some peeps read it just for the hell of it but it's really just a beginning with no middle or end. 
If you wanted to know where the plot was headed, Hartley was going to go to the police station, his boyfriend would break up with him, Hartley=sad, goes back to Cisco, Caitlin and Barry are back, get introduced to Hartley, Cisco lets Hartley stay with them a few nights and develops feelings and *fluffiness* ensues with cute relationship stuff. I promise it would've been good! I'm just real lazy I'm sorry





	

It was a relatively quiet night as Cisco padded around his two bedroom apartment preparing for bed. His roommate and longtime best friend Caitlin was gone on the last night of her 3 day business trip alongside Barry in Starling City. He stopped to stand in the middle of the living room to appreciate the stillness of the air, a calming atmosphere that never is present with Caitlin around. The enjoyment was fleeting as he soon felt a small pang of longing for his friends. Cisco didn’t care much for being alone. He sighed and started towards the small hallway leading to his room.

The sudden clatter of the window followed by an ungraceful thud caused him to jump with fright. Turning, he caught sight of a thin man with a mess of brown hair and black glasses stumbling onto his floor. Cisco’s heart pounded as he confronted the intruder angrily.

“What is going on?! If this is a robbery I– I’m calling the cops!” he exclaimed as he frantically tied to locate his phone.

“No no no no no! Sorry, please, let me explain!” the stranger stammered.

Cisco raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical on whether he should trust the unknown (and seemingly unarmed) man. He lifted his chin trying to appear masculine and threatening and said, “You have 30 seconds.”

The stranger gave a sly grin and started his story. “I didn’t mean to frighten you, it was a spur of the moment decision. You see I was being chased by the police and I needed to lose them somehow so I–“

“The police!” That was all he needed to hear before he was reaching for his phone again.

The man stepped forward to gently grab his arm in an attempt of restraint. “You said I had 30 seconds, please. Let me finish. I’m not dangerous.”

Cisco lingered on his face a moment before shrugging out of his grip. “I don’t believe a thing you say. I just want you out of here.”

“I swear I won’t hurt you! Look, I just took some blueprints from my father, okay?” he reached inside his coat to show a few loose papers before continuing. “We’re not exactly on speaking terms at the moment so he reported me. I only need to catch my breath for a second. I didn’t mean to cause a disruption, I just saw a fire escape and I climbed it. Your apartment was the first one I came across.”

Cisco’s heart rate had begun to balance out and his facial expression softened a bit at the explanation but he still felt uneasy. “Okay, but you can’t stay. You still have to get out of here; I can’t have a fugitive in my home.”

The man nodded, “Fair enough. But please don’t tip the cops. They’re too hot on my trail as it is.” He headed towards the front door, opening it a tad before slamming it in a hurry. He looked panicked when he turned back to Cisco. “They’re here.” Now his eyes quickly filled with dread as he gave him a pleading look.

Cisco scoffed and brushed past the man to sneak a peek outside. The police were conducting a door to door search, the closest cop being just two apartments over. He gently shut the door and the two shared a glance. Distraught, he ran a hand through his lengthy black hair and internally chastised himself for what he was about to do. “Hide,” he whispered as the sound of a knock filled the room.

Opening the door, Cisco politely greeted the officer.

“Sorry to disturb you sir, but there have been sightings of a person of interest in this building tonight. This is his picture.” The policeman held up a black and white portrait of the man currently ducked beneath his kitchen counter.

“Uh, no I’m sorry. I’ve never seen him before.” Cisco lied.

“Well, thank you for your time. Please alert the station if you receive any information.” 

“Wait,” He caught the officer’s attention before he left, wanting further information. “What is he wanted for?”

“Petty theft and a few misdemeanors. He’s escaped our custody quite a few times in the past.”

Cisco nodded and murmured a goodnight before pressing the door closed. After waiting a few moments for the policemen to leave the apartment building Cisco spun on his heels to face the dining area, arms crossed sternly.

“He’s gone now. You can come out.”

The stranger emerged into the living room while taking a few quick calming breaths. “Thanks,” he muttered. “I really owe you.”

“No, no, no you don’t. Owing someone implies they actually have to meet sometime in the future for the debt to be repaid. I want nothing of the sort. We’re putting this entire situation behind us so I can move on and forget I ever harbored an outlaw.” Cisco lightly touched a hand to his eyebrow in frustration as he spoke. 

“I–I can’t leave yet…” his voice trailed off.

Cisco’s eyes grew large and he was taken aback by the sheer audacity of the statement. “What? Yes, I think you can. You very much can and will leave right now, thank you.” He extended his arms towards the door as a way of showcasing the exit.

“My boyfriend, he’s the Chief of Police.” Cisco raised his eyebrows at this information. “He’s gotten me off before on these kinds of things and I just need to visit him after office hours to get my charges cleared. I can’t leave now though, I don’t know where to go. The cops are still swarming this building. Please, I’m just asking for a little time.”

“The Chief of Police? When do you think you’ll be able to talk to him?” he had already subconsciously pegged the intruder as harmless and he felt himself being pulled to help him.

“The station will be safe for me to enter after 2; all the detectives have left by then.” 

He glanced at the clock situated on the entertainment stand– it read 11:49pm. They’d have 2 hours to kill before it would be safe for the man to leave, but Cisco found himself nodding yes anyway. “If you’re going to stay though, I need to know your name. And I suppose I should properly introduce myself. I’m Cisco Ramon. It’s…quite interesting to meet you.” He said after deeming ‘nice’ an inappropriate word to describe this encounter.

“Well Cisco, I’m Hartley Rathaway.” The man grinned cheekily. 

A sudden realization hit the darker skinned man as he extended a hand incredulously. “Rathaway? As in Rathaway Industries? As in Osgood Rathaway, the founder of Central City Technical Engineering University, the university I studied at and graduated top of my class, is your father?”

“That really depends on your definition of a father. He and my mother disowned me after I came out as gay. I too graduated from the university at an exceptionally young age and went on to develop technology for sonic emissions– Technology that he stole from me to keep the press away from his bastard son and claim for himself to make profit on the university. He had the blueprints locked up in his office but I know the layout of the interior of the school from memory as well as the layout to all major public buildings in the city. I was in and out of there in 2 minutes. He noticed the next day though, and had a full on search issued for me today.” Hartley spoke apathetically and Cisco felt sorry him.

He was, however, very intrigued by the plans. Meeting a Rathaway had been a lifelong dream of Cisco that had been achieved while attending the university. He knew Osgood well as he was a protégé when it came to technical engineering and the two had spent much time together. Being in the presence of Hartley was another story. He held himself with arrogance and pride, and talked with a tone of condescension. It made Cisco both hate and admire him, for he knew he could learn so much from him. “Could I take a look at them?” he asked as they both moved to sit casually on the sofa. Hartley sighed and took the papers from his inner coat pocket.

Cisco’s eyes scanned the blueprints and grew wide with awe. “This is all very high tech, how did you get the idea for such a thing?” he questioned.

“Honestly? I’m a bit handicapped. Father didn’t care for anyone to know his son wasn’t an able-bodied, masculine, poster boy for heterosexual activity so he likes to sweep my existence under the rug. I was born hearing-impaired and I’ve had a hearing aid all my life. Sounds have never really affected me, per se, so I found a way to make them work to my advantage.”

Cisco stared at the paper and the intricate design of a pair of gloves. “You could really do some damage with these.” He felt a tinge of fear creep in. Maybe the person he let into his home was actually a dangerous criminal.

“It’s not for general public use or anything. Just an idea.” 

The papers were handed back to Hartley and he put them away into his coat once more. The apartment again returned to a state of silence and Cisco struggled to find an icebreaker. He decided to lighten the mood with a joke– after all, he was considered the comedian out of himself, Caitlin, and Barry. He didn’t have Caitlin’s knack for polite small talk or Barry’s delightful quirkiness. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, he caught Hartley’s intimidating gaze and instantly felt shutdown. Should he try to act more mature? Undecided, he eventually took a small breath of air and went to the kitchen.

“Would you like a cup of coffee?” he asked, rummaging through his cabinets.

“No, thank you.”

Cisco watched as his guest continued staring straight ahead, casually reclining to put his feet up on the coffee table. He wondered how just 5 minutes ago he felt wonderstruck by the Rathaway family legacy and talents and now he was beginning to fill with subtle bitterness towards the kid who was too good for coffee and manners. He caught a slight shiver from the detached aura Hartley was giving off. Shrugging in good spirit, he made himself a cup before returning to the couch. He reached for the remote in lieu of conversation but late night TV was all garbage or cartoons, or cartoon garbage. Finally, he let the channel stay on Kim Possible. Hartley scoffed.

Do you…” his eyes darted to the man sat beside him. “Do you have a problem with Kim Possible?”

“Well, it’s just a dumb kid’s show.” He stated obviously.

Cisco sat up and turned to face the negativity. “What is there not to like?”

“Uhhh…the talking rodent for one.”

“RUFUS?! How can you say you don’t like Rufus of all things?” Cisco began absently tugging at the ends of his hair, a kind of nervous habit. He thought back to the beginning of the night when this complete stranger stumbled in through the window and for some reason he accepted it as a harmless event. Sure, Hartley’s story checks out, but his demeanor had changed. Cisco didn’t like being around cold and arrogant people who like to walk over others they thought had a lower mental capability– which seemed to be Hartley’s exact style. “Actually,” he continued, “I think I’m just going to go to bed. I trust you not to take or destroy anything until you leave since I have no shame in calling the cops if I wake up to anything suspicious.”

He stood up to walk away and thought he imagined it when he heard the words “I’m sorry,” come from behind him.

“This is your home and I should be grateful to you. I just…” his voice trailed off and Cisco resumed his seat next to the boy out of curiosity,

“I’ve never been the best at social interaction. People find me…difficult.” He said at last, searching for an appropriate adjective.


End file.
